ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14055, 29 May 1911, Page 4

ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE.

YOUNG HEIRESS, LOVER, AND STERN UNCLE. A romance in real life, in which there .figured a pair of lovers, a stern uncle, a iealous suitor, and a runaway marriage, was unfolded at tho Old Bailey before the Recorder on March 31st, when Mas Salzinger, aged. 29, an opera singer, of Barmen, Germany, was charged with causing a false entry relating to tho age of his wife to be inserted in a marriage register at Manchester. Tho pair came to this country from Germany in February in order that the girl might be married without tho consent of her uncle, who was her guardian. It was stated that her ago was given as 22, when sho was, in fact, only 17 years and 10 months. The girl is a ward of court and entitleto a fortune of £4000 when she comes of ace. The prisoner's young wife, an extremely pretty girl, dressed with considerable taste, was in Court seated at the solicitors' table. Mr Leyccster. for the defence, said that when tho Recorder had heard the full facts he would agree that it was not a case in which then should be punished. The prisoner had a three years' contrnct at an opera, under which he was making between £300 and £400 a year. That contract ho had given up* for tho purpose of marrying this girl, and for the timo being he had ruined his career in his native country. Tho girl lost her parents when thirteen years of age, and having no brothers or sisters, sho was placed und«r the guardianship of her uncle, an innkeeper in Baden. During tho first few years sho was there her undo mad. her servo in tho public bar of tho house, and also made her do a great part of the household work, although he was drawing an incomo from her estate, out of which he was entitled to keep £40 a year for himself. Her uncle "always told her that ho was keeping her out of charity. In 1909-10 sho was at a hoardingschool, and thero she learnt from tho headmistress that sho had property of her own. On her return sho refused to servo any more in tho publichouse, although sho continued to do somo work in the house. She, was very unhappy, and in September last she met tho prisoner. They soon fell in love with each other, and became engaged to be married. Besides tho uncle the girl had a judicial guardian, and to him they applied for leave to be married. But" it appeared there was a man, a clerk, in the judicial guardian's court who had been paying the girl attention, and as soon as he heard of this application he informed her uncle. The*uncle was very angry, and when sent for by the judicial "guardian i_fused his consent to tho marriage, for he would then ceaso to derive income from her estate. Thero could have been no other ground for tho opposition, for iho prisoner was a man of perfectly good character. The girl ran away from home, hut was taken back by the police at the instance of her uncle, who frightened her into withdrawing her application to the Court for leavo to be married. Sho became moro or less a prisoner in tho house, and her boots and walking clothes were taken away, but from time to time the lover 9 met hy stealth, and she implored Salzinger to marry her. Otherwise, she said, sho would commit suicide. In theso circumstances he did what any man of human feelings would do. He threw up his operatic enrngement and they ran away. Tliere seemed to exist a practice of persuading foreigners that it was easy to marry in England, and apparently ho came across some circular to that effect. They came here to be married, and they had not the slightest idea that they would he committing a criminal offence. They arrived in London, and he found himself in this terrible position. He must either desert tho woman he loved and leave her homeless and penniless in a foreign country or live with her in dishonour and ruin her reputation or marry her by trick. In thoso circumstances he decided to marry her and gave her age at 22.

. In answer to the Recorder/ Mr Leicester said that the prisoner would not benefit from his wife's fortune. She would receive.tho income. The marriage could only be set aside by one of tho parties, and that was the last thing in the world they would do. The Recorder told the prisoner that ho had committed a serious offence, but there wero special circumstances, and. he would be bound over in his own recognisances.